The Alchemy Of A Bitches Brew

For an artist, when you anger purists, that often means that you’re onto something. Jazz purists scoffed when trumpeter Miles Davis began incorporating electric instruments in his groups and taking inspiration from rock stars like Sly Stone and Jimi Hendrix in the late ‘60s.

Davis’ album Bitches Brew, recorded in 1969 and released in 1970, is arguably the most important jazz fusion album ever, featuring Teo Macero’s creative editing and sporting a supremely talented and engorged lineup with several drummers/percussionists and electric pianists playing simultaneously and the likes of Chick Corea, John McLaughlin and Wayne Shorter.

Remarkably, for such a groundbreaking album, Bitches Brew sold well, earning a gold record, and was even awarded a Grammy; more importantly, it was profoundly influential.

Drawing from the blossoming free-jazz scene in Knoxville, under the sponsorship of the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra, bassist Matt Nelson has assembled an impressive lineup to pay tribute to Bitches Brew.

Joining Nelson at the Thursday, Nov. 2nd show at Barking Legs Theater will be guitarists Mike Baggetta and Jake Smith, drummer Hunter Deacon, trumpeter Joe Jordan, saxophonist Chuck Mullican and Jorge Variego on B-flat and bass clarinet, and he took the time to answer some questions for The Pulse.

The Pulse: What does Bitches Brew mean to you, and why has it proven to be so enduring?

Matt Nelson: One of the very first albums that I bought was Bitches Brew. I remember when I got it, I listened to it several times in a row while laying on my back on the floor in my room. I was immediately drawn to how organic the album sounded. The album was very minimal, but I could tell that the musicians had a lot of freedom within that context.

I think that historical context plays a big role in why this album has endured. This was Miles’ first big step into the “pop” music of the time. He was not the first person to combine elements of rock, funk and jazz but he definitely was able to make music like that accessible to more than just jazz fans for the first time.

TP: How did you approach this material for the live performance?

MN: I liked the idea of having a large ensemble play this music. I wanted to keep that tense, contained energy from the record but also find a way to improvise as much as possible and take the songs wherever we wanted to in the moment.

TP: Can you discuss your musical background, and what are your current musical projects and activities?

MN: I started playing electric bass when I was 14 years old. When I was 16, I started studying with the jazz and classical bass professor at the University of Tennessee, Rusty Holloway.

I started playing upright bass in college while continuing to study with Rusty Holloway, all while playing many different genres of music in bars and other venues in the Knoxville area. After college I toured around the country with a folk rock band for a few years.

I left that band in February of this year and have since been freelancing in the Knoxville area and curating a monthly concert series at the Pilot Light and a bimonthly house show series. Both of these feature primarily improvised music. I released my first album earlier this year and just recorded a new album that should be out by 2018.

TP: What was your introduction to jazz?

MN: I knew about musicians like Jaco Pastorius and Herbie Hancock very early on but it wasn’t until towards the end of high school that I heard Bill Evans’ Sunday at the Village Vanguard and John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme.

Bill Evans’ and Scott LaFaro’s interplay on that record inspired me to get serious about playing the upright bass, while John Coltrane’s raw energy on A Love Supreme made me realize for the first time that improvisation could be a deeply emotional and spiritual art form.

TP: Do you have any guiding philosophies when it comes to improvisation?

MN: Improvisation allows you to convey emotions that you can’t normally in other types of music. I love free improvisation because it allows you to access uncomfortable or darker emotions. When you combine those emotions with the other musicians in a “conversational” way, it can create very unique situations that cannot be repeated the same way again.